In May 2014, EDA announced a $1.5 million investment in the city of North Little Rock to help the city purchase backup generators and other critical energy-related infrastructure improvements. This equipment will be installed along the major North Little Rock intersection of Highway 70 and I-440, supporting the city’s efforts to attract new industry and businesses to the area. The added energy capacity is already expected to serve a major wholesale food distributor and other established and future commercial enterprises. According to grantee estimates, the grant is expected to help create or retain about 350 jobs and generate more than $60 million in private investment.

City officials never could have anticipated how timely this grant would be when they initially applied to EDA for assistance. On April 27, 2014, only three weeks prior to EDA’s announcement, a deadly tornado outbreak roared across the state. These events dramatically underscored the need for backup generators and the modernization of energy infrastructure that companies rely on to continue operating during disasters and to preserve American jobs.